{
  "id": 17694458,
  "title": "Built a duplicate file finder in Java, here's how it works",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/01/built-a-duplicate-file-finder-in-java-heres-how-it-works",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-11-01T22:43:59.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dev.to",
    "slug": "dev-to",
    "url": "https://dev.to/faintestmemoryofwhoioncewas/built-a-duplicate-file-finder-in-java-heres-how-it-works-fl0"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A Java-based duplicate file finder named DupeLens has been created, offering a straightforward command-line interface for identifying and reporting duplicated files in folders. The program operates by first comparing file sizes; if they differ, there's no need to proceed with further comparison. For files with matching sizes, it employs SHA-256 hashing to verify if their contents are the same.\n\nUpon completion, DupeLens presents the found duplicates in the terminal and provides an optional HTML report for easier visualization. No files are altered, deleted, or moved during this process. To utilize DupeLens, users need a Java version of 17 or later. They can download the JAR file from the GitHub repository and execute it by running the command \"java -jar dupelens.jar ./your-folder --html report.html\", replacing \"your-folder\" with the path to the desired directory. After running the command, the resulting HTML report can be accessed using any web browser.\n\nDupeLens was initially released in version 1.0.0, indicating it is in an early stage of development. The programmer has expressed plans to incorporate additional features such as exclusion patterns and JSON output, while also welcoming suggestions and contributions from the community. The project is open-source and licensed under the MIT license, with the source code available on GitHub at https://github.com/illusionoftalha/dupelens.",
  "summary": "So I've been working on this little project called DupeLens. It's basically a Java CLI that finds duplicate files in your folders and generates an HTML report. Nothing crazy, just something I thought would be useful. Why I made it I wanted a simple way to check which files were duplicated without worrying about accidentally deleting something important. So I built one myself. How it works It's…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}